Ben & Jerry's Switches to Unbleached Paperboard Ice Cream Pint
Although Ben & Jerry's all-natural ice cream formulas are remaining the same as ever, the Vermont company is changing its packaging to an environmentally friendly container.
Beginning with its top-selling flavor, World's Best Vanilla, the ice cream maker is switching to an unbleached paperboard pint container. Ben & Jerry's will thus be the first U.S. ice cream company to produce these pints, converting a significant portion of its containers by the end of this year.
"We're hoping what we call the 'ECO-Pint' will become the new industry standard for ice cream containers," says Andrea Asch, manager of Natural Resource Use for Ben & Jerry's. Though ice cream connoisseurs will easily recognize the familiar Ben & Jerry's graphics on the outside of the container, they'll find as they spoon through their all-natural ice cream that the inside of the carton is brown — the color of natural kraft paper.
Two-year Search for Material
Founded in 1978, Ben & Jerry's is committed to high quality and all-natural ingredients, and the company spent two years developing the new ECO-Pint. Its search for the right unbleached paperboard — one that would meet environmental, commercial and FDA requirements — led the company to Riverwood International, an Atlanta-based paperboard manufacturer. "We embarked on a global search for the right kind of paperboard," notes Asch.
The new Ben & Jerry's ECO-Pints are constructed from Riverwood's SUS (solid unbleached sulphate) coated dairyman grade board. The unbleached kraft paperboard features an exterior, non-toxic clay coating that allows it to be printed with the familiar company logo and other graphics. Two layers of the clay coating are applied inline to the one side of the paperboard. Subsequently, one layer of polycoating is also applied on both sides of the 16-pt. thick carton blank.
The process is similar to that used for the construction of 12-pack and 24-pack cartons for soda and beer. The cartons offer excellent resistance to water and a finished 80 brightness. According to Asch, the cartons have the same structural characteristics as Ben & Jerry's current pint containers.
The new ECO-Pint is offset lithography sheetfed printed in six colors and formed by Sweetheart Cup Co. at its facility outside of Baltimore. The lids are letterpress-printed roll to roll.
"This technology had never before been adapted to ice cream pint containers," says Michael Brink, Ben & Jerry's manager of Packaging Development. "Just being able to fabricate it in round, precise dimensions posed unique challenges for our manufacturing team."
Steering Clear of Chlorine
Asch says that although the new unbleached paperboard carton currently costs more to produce than the conventional carton, the added expense is well worth it to Ben & Jerry's, which works closely with Greenpeace to promote awareness of chlorine issues. According to Greenpeace, the process of standard paper-making, which uses chlorine compounds as a bleaching agent, discharges millions of gallons of organochlorine-laced wastewater daily. Some of these chemicals are considered human health hazards, and EPA has identified a few, such as dioxins, as carcinogens and highly toxic.
Asch adds that Ben & Jerry's is not passing any cost increase onto the consumer. The new product is currently in distribution and will reach store shelves nationwide shortly. The company plans on packaging about one-third of its products in the new carton by the end of this year, and intends to convert all of them by the close of 2000.
As part of the company's social mission, Ben & Jerry's is eager to share this packaging technology with other manufacturers. Liz Bankowski, director of Social Mission, says "This is one small step for the environment that can really make a difference."
Founded in 1978, Ben & Jerry's produces a wide variety of super-premium ice cream, ice cream novelties, low-fat ice cream, low-fat frozen yogurt and sorbet, using Vermont dairy products and high-quality, all-natural ingredients. The company is committed to using milk and cream from cows not treated with rBGH, an artificial growth hormone. Ben & Jerry's products are distributed nationwide and in selected foreign countries in supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, franchised Ben & Jerry's "scoop" shops, restaurants and other venues. Ben & Jerry's gives 7.5% of its pre-tax profits back to philanthropic and non-profit activities.
For more information: Riverwood International, 3350 Riverwood Pkwy., Atlanta, GA 30339; Tel: 770-644-3000, Fax: 770-644-2623; Sweetheart Cup Co., 10100 Reisterstown Rd., Owings Mills, MD 21117, Tel: 410-363-1111.